DEBUT JOURNEYS Zeena Gosrani

 

For this month's Debut Journeys Robynn Hyde talks to Zeena Gosrani whose book This Dark Heart publishes on 3 October 2024 from Firefly.

Where are you now and where did you write your book?

I am sitting in my office in London, which is new (the office, not the location). I wrote most of this book sprawled across my bed or sat at my kitchen table. I also wrote on my phone before work or during my break – whenever I could find the time. 

What’s it all about? (Your book, that is!)

It’s about a princess who has to rescue her girlfriend from demons. It’s a story about how far someone would go for the one they love, and whether they’re willing to let the world burn in the process. 

Tell us about your route to publication.

I had an unusual route to publication. A friend of mine convinced me to enter the SCBWI scholarship for the 2019 conference. My manuscript was a mess, and I wasn’t sure how to fix it, but a part of the prize was a full manuscript review with someone from The Bent Agency (who were running the competition). So, I entered and I won. I met Gemma Cooper at the conference and I had my one-to-one review with Zoë Plant, and while they both agreed that my manuscript needed work, they both wanted to work on it with me. Most importantly, they both understood what I was trying to do with the manuscript. 

I signed with them and worked on the manuscript during the pandemic (while also working full time in healthcare!), I rewrote the manuscript from scratch (my idea) and it was finally picked up by Firefly. 

Cover Artist: Cynthia Paul

What do you do when you’re not writing?

I’m a pharmacist, so a very different career path. I love science, and I loved every minute of studying pharmacy, but English was always my passion. But as a Good Indian girl, it was something I absolutely was not allowed to study. I’m glad I eventually found my way into writing. 

What was the biggest bump in the road when it came to getting your book out into the world and how did you overcome it?

My biggest bump was when I rewrote my manuscript from scratch, or rather just before. I got my edit letter from my agents, and I absolutely hated it. Everything they said was spot on, but I really didn’t like the direction my manuscript was going in, so I took all the things they loved, all the things I loved and wrote a new outline, fully aware this was not the book they had signed up for. But they loved it and told me to write it. I will never forget their faith in me. 

Any tips for budding writers hoping to follow in your footsteps?

Finish your book. Statistics show less than 3% of people who start writing actually finish their book, so finishing the book is already a massive success. I see so many people tinkering with the beginning, trying to make it perfect, and they never get anywhere because it’s impossible to tell what needs to be fixed until you see your manuscript as a whole. 

I know for me, my subconscious does a lot of work, so I don’t always know where I’m going with a plot line until I get to the end and it suddenly makes sense. Does that mean it’s perfect? No. It definitely needs to be edited to make it read like I intended to have that happen all along, or sometimes it needs to go because it actually doesn’t add anything of value. But I can’t know any of that until I get to the end. 

What’s next for you?

I’m going to keep writing (and finishing my manuscripts!), and hopefully I’ll find more of my books on shelves one day. 

Header image: Ell Rose and Tita Berredo

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Zeena Gosrani is a dyslexic writer who loves oxymorons so much, she thought she’d become one. She has always been a dreamer but never thought she could write until she challenged herself one day when she was between jobs, and she’s never looked back. She lives in London with her imaginary cat because she can’t have a real one (they had a meeting). 

Follow her on X, Instagram and TikTok.

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Ell Rose is the Illustration Features Editor of Words & Pictures. 

Find their work at fourfooteleven.com 

Follow them on Instagram and Twitter

Contact them at illustrators@britishscbwi.org 

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Tita Berredo is the Illustrator Coordinator of SCBWI British Isles and the Art Director of Words & Pictures. 

Follow her on Instagram and Twitter or www.titaberredo.com 

Contact her at: illuscoordinator@britishscbwi.org

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If you would like to feature in a future Debut Journeys, please email Robynn Hyde at robynn.marie.hyde@gmail.com or find her on X or Instagram.